"1000 jars! 1000 jars!..." Kroxi Bas’s face twisted in excitement. The three premium wines from Campania were famous throughout Italy, but they were primarily reserved for the Romans. Other Italian City States seldom had access to them. Now, a golden opportunity for profit was laid before him, yet he scratched his head in anguish: "I don’t have that much money!"
"It’s okay if you don’t have enough money," Pigeris said gently. "We can also barter goods. Leader Maximus has stated that our Free Italy army needs weapons, leather, tents... As long as you can procure these, the price of these wines will be halved for you."
"Take Falernian wine for instance. Its regular price is 5 Gold Coins per jar, but this year, due to our influence, the price is bound to double. Meanwhile, a set of leather helmet, leather armor, shield, and short sword costs only one or two Gold Coins. One set of weapons can be exchanged for one jar of Italy’s finest wine, which you can then sell in any town for 10, maybe even 20 Gold Coins. Soon, you’ll all become Italy’s wealthiest merchants!"
Daltemas had been hesitant on the issue of selling weapons to the rebel army, but Pigeris’s enticing words finally swayed him.
Tegechamos, however, had no hesitation. For merchants, chasing maximum profits is natural, particularly given the Sicilian resentment toward the Romans. Sicily, much like Mount Etna, once cultivated vineyards and produced fine wines. But after the Romans seized control of Sicily, they had turned it into Italy’s granary. Successive Roman Governors emphasized expanding wheat fields and forced Sicilians to sell their wheat to Italy at low prices. Roman officials, arrogant and overbearing, had committed many wrongs in Sicily.
Thus, selling weapons to the rebel army to stir trouble for the Romans didn’t weigh on Tegechamos’s conscience. In fact, he welcomed it and said, "No problem selling weapons to you. The only issue is that I’ll need at least three to four days to sail back to Messina, and six or seven days overall to return here with the weapons. Will you still be in Pompeii by then?"
Pigeris smiled and said, "You must have noticed earlier that our soldiers were asking Pompeians to leave the city. That’s because the entire Free Italy army is moving in. We’ll be here for quite a while, giving you ample time to make many trips back and forth."
Pigeris reassured the group with a guarantee.
Daltemas finally spoke up: "The town I live in doesn’t produce weapons, but we do have raw iron ingots. Would you need them? If you do, could this also reduce the price of the wine by half?"
Tegechamos glanced at him, hesitated briefly, but decided not to expose him. After all, Regium and Messina were situated across the Messina Strait, with merchant ships bustling through the ports daily. Regium, like Messina, should have no shortage of weapons trade. Daltemas’s words likely stemmed from a fear of being penalized by the Romans if it became known that he sold weapons to the rebel army.
"Raw iron ingots," Pigeris pondered. "That could work as well, but the price reduction wouldn’t be as steep."
Some reduction was better than none—negotiations could always be revisited later. Trading with the rebel army required caution above all else. Daltemas exchanged a glance with Tegechamos and said, "Next time, I’ll bring a large quantity of raw iron ingots to trade with you."
"Good," Pigeris nodded.
"Leather! And tents! I’ll bring them to you soon, but you must sell me the best wine!" Kroxi Bas exclaimed, waving his arms enthusiastically, shouting like a man possessed by wine frenzy—a stark contrast to his earlier defeated demeanor in the corner of the room.
"This year, almost every vineyard in the Vesuvius Region has been seized by our army. Not only do we have an abundance of volume, but we also have a variety of types that can fully meet your needs," Pigeris said, standing with a smile. "To thank you for trusting our army, I’d like to invite you to visit our supply warehouse. Each of you may select 10 jars of wine to take with you as a token of our friendship."
"Is that for real?!" Kroxi Bas lit up with joy.
"Leader Maximus has said that anyone willing to trade with our army is a friend of Free Italy. For friends, we will never let them suffer losses. We hope you’ll profit greatly every time, so that you’ll continue being our friend and trading with us in the long term," Pigeris stated plainly but persuasively—his transparency forged trust.
"Your Leader Maximus is truly a shrewd man! Let’s go, take us to your warehouse!" Tegechamos rose, all his previous unease evaporated, replaced by sheer excitement. He inwardly thanked the Goddess of Fortune: had he not overslept the other day and delayed his departure, he wouldn’t have stumbled upon this lucrative opportunity!
Kroxi Bas and Daltemas swiftly followed suit, urging Pigeris to lead them to the warehouse. At this moment, they had entirely forgotten their earlier perilous experiences and regarded themselves as honored guests of the rebel army.
.........................................................
Pigeris stood at the dock, watching Tegechamos’s merchant ship disappear into the horizon, releasing a sigh of relief. Today’s dealings had finally concluded. Judging by the merchants’ reactions, the likelihood of Tegechamos and Kroxi Bas returning for trade in 10 days was exceedingly high. As for the cautious Daltemas—that remained uncertain. But regardless, Pigeris had already exceeded expectations. Leader Maximus would surely confirm his temporary assignment as a permanent one after hearing his report...